Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Cooperation between Indonesian News Agency ANTARA and Portugal`s LUSA will help strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, the Foreign Affairs Ministry`s Director for Cooperation with West European Countries Dewa Made Juniarta Sastrawan said.

Dewa made the statement here on Tuesday during the signing of an MoU between ANTARA and LUSA on exchange of news contents and photos.

"Indonesia and Portugal have enjoyed fruitful relations during the past years. Today`s MoU is considered as another way to further cement the existing relations and a tool to increase people-to-people contacts in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, Portuguese Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Pedro Coelho said Tuesday`s ceremony marked a new link in the relations between Indonesia and Portugal. "Now we do not only have the traditional kind of relations but also ties such sectors as culture, sports, and now media," he said.

Indonesian Ambassador to Portugal Albert Matondang who also attended Tuesday`s ceremony expressed support for the implementation of the new MoU saying that "We must utilize this momentum to enhance Indonesia-Portugal relations in the future,".(*)

(A051/HAJM/B003).

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
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